Twelve months after Rwanda, Nigeria and Benin found themselves in Group C in the World Cup 2026 Africa qualifiers, the same three countries were again drawn in the same group for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The draw for the AFCON 2025 qualifiers held Thursday, July 4, in Johannesburg, South Africa, pit Frank Spittler’s Amavubi Stars against Nigeria, Nigeria and Libya in Group D vying for tickets to the finals which will take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

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The AFCON 2025 qualifiers feature 12 groups of four teams each (Groups A to L).

The top two teams from each group, excluding the group of the host nation, will advance to the final tournament. In the hosts. group, only the top team will qualify since the host nation automatically qualifies.

A total of 48 African nations are engaged in the qualifiers, all vying for a spot in the 35th edition of the continent's premier football event.

Côte d'Ivoire are the reigning champions, having secured the title on home soil in February.

Under the guidance of German coach Torsten Spittler, Rwanda has shown signs of improvement in performance and chances of returning to the AFCON stage after 21 years are on the cards if they maintain their form.

AFCON 2025 qualifiers group draw in full

Group A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, Gambia

Group B: Morocco, Gabon, Central African Republic, Lesotho

Group C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana

Group D: Nigeria, Benin, Libya, Rwanda

Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia

Group F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger

Group G: Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Chad

Group H: DR Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia

Group I: Mali, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Eswatini

Group J: Cameroon, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe

Group K: South Africa, Uganda, Congo, South Sudan

Group L: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Burundi